Waking up again was a repeat of the most horrid nightmare of when I’d awoken before. I was on a sick merry-go-round in the depths of hell. My hands were still tied, but my mouth was no longer gagged, and I was sitting up, strapped to a wooden chair. Lifting my head that rested limply on my chest, I took in my surroundings with blurry eyes. I was in a basement or wine cellar. There were boxes all around me, and to my right and left were shelves that housed dusty bottles of wine. The room was dark, dank, and there was a sharp chill in the air. In front of where I sat was a staircase leading to the floor above.

Pulling against the straps that held me securely to the chair, I wasn’t surprised I couldn’t make them budge. Pope wasn’t going to lose his captive because of loose knots. He clearly was a pro at this. Taking a deep breath, I struggled with the battle going on inside of me. I was at war with the frightened little girl who wanted to scream for help. This little girl psyche was pleading and begging I do something—anything. But I remembered what Viv had said. How it was important for me to remain silent. She said she would help me. But I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs more than I wanted to even breathe.

Where was Viv? Where was she?

Where was Pope?

Where was I?

“Oh good. You are awake,” came Viv’s gentle voice behind me.

I tried to turn to see her, but was unable to. All I could see were stacked boxes all around. “Viv? Hurry, untie me.”

There was silence.

I wiggled my fingers and toes and was pleased I still had feeling in them. I would at least be able to run once I was free.

“Viv?” Why wasn’t she rushing to me to free me from my restraints? “We need to hurry.”

Silence.

“Viv!” I wiggled in my chair as if showing her that I was tied and couldn’t move would trigger her to take action. “You have to do something before Pope comes back down here. Please hurry.”

“Now, Demi. The more you resist, the more those ropes are going to flaw your perfectly creamy skin.” I froze in place as a chill ran down my spine. The voice was Viv’s, yet it wasn’t Viv’s. She had a thick southern accent that seemed to ooze off her tongue. It reminded me of a southern belle attending charm school so she could win the local beauty pageant. “It’s important you take care of your skin, child. No man wants a woman with raw and red wrists and ankles. It simply isn’t ladylike. You must remember that.”

The click of heels on the cold concrete floor came from behind until they circled around and stood before me. Viv Montgomery stood before me. The sweet little old lady whom I had fed in the diner because she wasn’t able to feed herself, stood before me. Yet, this person wasn’t Viv. This woman seemed different. It wasn’t just her thick southern accent that I had never known Viv to have, it was something more. This woman stood with a straight back. Her chin lifted with a sense of arrogance mixed with elegance. There was no shaking or even a tremble of a single body part. She was composed and exuded a sense of strength. She wore a wool, cream pencil skirt, a perfectly pressed ivory blouse, and her trademark tan pantyhose that I recognized. Yet this was not the frail, Asian lady who had Parkinson’s that I knew. This woman even appeared younger in age if that were possible, and definitely much healthier.

“Viv?”

The woman frowned. “Don’t ever call me by that. Vivian Montgomery is my name. I do so hate when people use nicknames. If your parents had intended for you to be called by your nickname, then they would have named you as such. I was not named ‘Viv,’ therefore, do not call me that.” She cleared her throat and clasped her hands neatly in front of her. “You may, however, call me Vivian. I usually require younger folk to call me Mrs. Montgomery, but since you will soon be family, I will allow you to call me Vivian. Once you are married to my son, we can then discuss the possibility of you calling me Momma.” She smiled as her eyes seemed to drift off in thought. “I’ve never had a daughter before, and I might quite enjoy it.”

I sat dumbfounded. Who was this person? Why did she suddenly have an accent? What was she talking about? Marrying her son? Momma?

“What’s going on? You said you would help me escape when we got here.” I looked around, still having no idea where ‘here’ even was.

With a smile that reminded me of one the devil himself would have painted on his face, she said, “Correction, child. I told you I would make everything right. I never said I would help you escape.” She walked up to me and moved a piece of wayward hair that had fallen in front of my eyes and gently tucked it behind my ear. “And there is absolutely nothing to escape from.”

My inner little girl who had been pounding on my chest in panic finally won. I started to cry and shake in fear. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Like what?”

“That accent.”

“Accent?” She giggled. “Well, child, we do live in the South. And besides, if you ask me, it’s those Yankees who have the accent. Why are you asking such a funny question?”

Had Viv been lying to me the entire time? Had she pretended to be sick to trap me? Was this some cruel game she and her son played with unsuspecting women? Had I been fooled all this time, and now I was going to be murdered because of my naiveté?

“I just want to go home,” I sobbed. “Please, I don’t want any trouble. Just let me go, and we can pretend none of this ever happened. I won’t say a single word to anyone. I promise.”

Her eyes widened and her eyebrows rose. “Home? Child, this is your home. Your new home. Pope bought this house years ago to be used for vacation. As lovely as it is with all the trees and mountains surrounding us, it was simply too impractical to reside here full-time. Well, with Pope’s job and all. But now that he is retired, it really is the perfect place to live.” She began to pace a little as she spoke. “At first, it was too far removed for my tastes. No town nearby, and the only way to get supplies is via plane. But since Pope is a pilot and we have a plane, and even one of those fancy landing strips, I guess we are some of the lucky few in the world who can live out here by ourselves.”

“Viv, listen—”

“Vivian!” she snapped as she spun on her heels, her eyes shooting daggers at me. I flinched at the harshness, shocked to hear such venom come from a woman I once felt incapable of ever raising her voice. “You will call me Vivian. Do not make me tell you again.”

I sniffed back my tears and struggled to regain composure. “I’m sorry. Vivian.”

She smiled and softened her features again, yet she was still not the woman I had known before. “Now, as I was saying, child. Pope has worked hard all his life to provide for us. This house may not be in the ideal location for two women such as you and I who do sometimes partake in the social life, but we must see this as a wonderful opportunity. It will give you and me the chance to form a proper mother/daughter relationship, and allow you and Pope to take your time with your courtship. Young folk these days just don’t court like we used to in my time.”

Bile formed in the back of my throat. My head spun as my heart thumped against my breastbone. “Where am I?” My voice cracked as I trembled harder than the woman ever had in the diner.

“Deep in the woods of the Sierra mountains. The land has been in our family—on his daddy’s side—for many years, but nothing was done with it until Pope. He built a glorious two-story house. There’s a wrap-around porch just like I had as a child. He even added some rocking chairs to remind me of those days.” Pride beamed from the woman as she gushed like nothing was out of the ordinary. As if there wasn’t a tied woman sitting right the fuck in front of her!

“Vivian,” I swallowed back my fear and tried to regain my composure the best I could, “why am I here?”

Her eyes widened, and she tilted her head. “Well, to marry my boy of course. What a silly question.”

“You kidnapped me to marry Pope?” My head pounded and my heart threatened to jump right out of my chest. The drugs from the water still blurred my thoughts so the insanity of this situation couldn’t fully set in. What the fuck was going on?

“Kidnapped? No, of course I didn’t kidnap you.” She began pacing again, each click of her heels setting a loud staccato rhythm.

“I’m tied to a chair. You drugged me.” I wasn’t sure why I had to state the obvious, but the woman appeared to not notice she had a woman bound to a chair in a cellar before her.

She smiled. “Well, yes. I suppose I did drug you. But a momma has to do what a momma has to do sometimes. I knew once I got you here, all would be just fine. Yes, just fine.” Walking toward me, she once again reached for my hair and ran her fingers through the tangles. “Now that you are here, we can begin.”

I scrutinized her eyes. The same eyes that I had looked into so many times as she shook so hard before me that she was unable to even lift a fork. “Begin? Begin what?”

“Well, we have to teach you the ways of a proper wife. It takes training to be a good wife. To be the kind of woman my boy deserves.” She patted me on the head. “But don’t you worry. Lucky for you, I’m a mighty fine teacher.” She paused and took a few steps back and then clasped her hands in front of her, giving off a prim and proper aura. “I don’t always have the best patience, but I have no doubt you will be a quick study.”

“Where’s Pope?”

She looked up as if listening for him. “He and the movers just got done unloading the plane. So now Pope is flying them back to the airport. It won’t take long for him to return. It was so nice for the boys to be willing to help us get all our possessions here. And we had to have a few months of supplies as well. Even with the plane, it doesn’t make sense to fly into town often if we don’t have to.”

The way Vivian spoke to me was as if nothing was wrong. As if I weren’t kidnapped, tied to a chair, begging for answers. She spoke as if it was simply another ordinary day. Had she lost her mind? She clearly wasn’t all there. She was a mad woman, and yet, how did I not notice this before?

“Please, let me go. Please.” My voice was so weak that I wondered if she even heard me since she didn’t respond for several moments.

“There’s going to be a lot of work to do once Pope returns. We have to work extra hard at making this house a home. It’s been neglected and requires some construction.” She smiled and clapped her hands. “But the good news is, Pope is handy with the tools. He is such a man. He knows how to build and fix things like a proper gentleman. You will be lucky to have him as your husband. Not all men are good with their hands. But Pope is. He’s a true man.”

“Vivian, please listen to me.” I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “You don’t have to keep me here. You don’t have to. Untie me, and I’ll run. You can tell Pope I got away, and you couldn’t stop me. He won’t blame you. It won’t be your fault. And like I said, I won’t tell anyone. I just want to be free. We can all pretend this was a big misunderstanding.”

A look of confusion washed over her. “Now, why would I do such a thing, child? After all the work and months of planning to get you here? Oh gracious no. Getting hold of the drugs to put in your water in the apartment and then again in the box was hard enough. I was simply terrified I would kill you, especially when you muddled my plan by drinking wine and taking sleeping pills.” She played with the pearls around her neck nervously. “I was so worried you had messed up all my planning. But we were leaving for the airport to fly to the Sierra mountains that afternoon, so I had no choice. I had to act then.”

“You drugged me?”

“Well, I had to. I do hope you understand. It was to ensure your trip was more comfortable. I had your comfort in my thoughts at all times. I truly did. And when he put you in the box, I told him to be very careful. I didn’t want your perfect little body all bruised. No man wants a woman with flaws on her body. No man indeed.”

“You helped Pope put me in a box?” How could I have been fooled by this woman for so long? I had trusted her. I didn’t think she was capable of hurting anyone. Fresh tears pooled when it became very clear that the little old lady I had grown to care for was in on this plan with her son to kidnap me the entire time.

“Oh Pope didn’t put you in a box, child. He’s a true gentleman and wouldn’t partake in such an act. So I had Richard do it.”

Shaking my head as if that would help make sense of this entire situation, I closed my eyes in hope I would wake up from this nightmare. “Richard?”

“Yes, Richard. He’s such a nice man. I hired him several years back to be my handyman while Pope was in prison. He eventually became a caretaker and a friend of mine. Anyway, he will do just about anything I ask of him. He’s a little slow,” she pointed to her head, “in the mind, but he loves me so. I’ll miss him, and it was a shame to see him leave on the plane with Pope to go back to the airport, but he has a bigger and more important job to focus on now.”

Remembering the knock on the door in my apartment, it was starting to come together. “Richard came to my apartment to help you kidnap me?”

“I do wish you would stop using the term ‘kidnap.’ It sounds so torrid.” Vivian walked over to a box and began searching the contents inside. “But yes, Richard helps me do whatever I need. In fact, he is helping you as well, so you should be grateful.”

“Helping me?”

I could hear items in the box shifting about as Vivian dug around. “He’s watching over your little Mexican friend and her baby.”

Fresh fear punched me in the gut. “Maria? What are you doing with Maria and Luis?”

She stood up with scissors she had found in the box. “Nothing at all… yet. But that’s up to you, of course. Richard is simply there to watch them in their day-to-day life. Unless, of course, I give him reason to do something else.”

She approached me again, carrying the scissors as one would carry a dagger. I watched the shears and wondered if this was the tool that would be used to kill me. Was talking time over, and death time next?

Vivian rested the scissors on my shoulder. The cool metal sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s a win-win situation for all,” she began as she caressed the skin along my collarbone with the scissors. “Richard will make sure that woman and her baby stay nice and safe. I will make sure you stay nice and safe. That is, however, if you remain a good girl. As long as you don’t give Richard or myself any reason to punish you, and then to punish Maria and that cute little infant of hers.” She opened the scissors, placed the strap of my white tank top between the metal blades, and cut the fabric in half. “If you are good, then all is good in the world.”

Maria and Luis! No!

“What are you doing?” I asked as she began cutting the shirt. As she mastered the scissors, I noticed her hands didn’t tremble once.

“Child, we have to get you presentable. No proper lady wears attire such as this. And you really are in need of a bath. We can’t have Pope seeing you in this condition, and he will be home soon. You must try to always be desirable for him at all times. It’s important for a healthy sex life. And for a successful marriage, you must have a healthy sex life. You don’t want his eyes wandering to another. Men are weak, but women are stronger. And if we focus on what makes a man tick, we can prevent such a distasteful act as cheating.”

She continued to cut the ribbed fabric of my tank until it dropped off of me, completely baring my upper half. The cool air of the room hit my nipples, and the reality of what was truly happening began to set in. She then moved the scissors to my sweats and hacked away. The sound of shears slicing fabric echoed off the walls of my prison. I sat in shock as a woman cut my clothing off of me, and there was nothing I could do. I didn’t even resist—not that I could have since the ties were still so tight around my wrists and ankles.

When she finally removed everything except for my pink cotton panties, I pleaded again. “Please, Viv… Vivian. Please don’t do this. We were friends. Remember? We were friends!”

She brought the tip of the scissors to the edge of my panties and sliced through them effortlessly. “Which is why I chose you, child. You will be the perfect daughter-in-law. I knew the minute I saw you that you would be the perfect wife for my son. I just knew it.”

She tugged at the fabric that concealed all that was left of my modesty and added the piece of material to the pile of my shredded clothing. I sat completely nude. Since my arms were tied behind my back, the position forced my breasts forward, putting them on full display. My legs were opened wide since each ankle was tied to opposite sides of the chair. I had never before felt more exposed and vulnerable.

Vivian gathered the pile of ruined clothes and then stood before me. Her eyes scanned my body from head to toe, and then from toe to head. “Yes, I chose correctly. I knew you would be a pretty thing beneath all those awful and unladylike clothes you wore. I simply knew it.” She smiled and obviously was proud of what she saw as her chin lifted and her shoulders squared. “Yes, indeed. Pope is going to be very satisfied with what you have to offer. Very satisfied indeed.”

She turned and made her way to the stairs leading to the upper level.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Panic attacked my core even more at the thought of being left tied to a chair naked by myself.

“I’m going to go get some warm water and a rag. It’s time for your bath, child.”

She continued climbing the stairs until she was completely out of sight. I then heard the sound of a door closing and the click of a lock.